Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by ''OpenSecrets.org'', Brooks's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,587,045 and $6,856,000. That averages to '''$4,221,522.50''', which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Brooks ranked as the 87th most wealthy representative in 2012.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00033495&year=2012 ''OpenSecrets'', "Brooks, (R-IN), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014]</ref>

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Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by ''OpenSecrets.org'', Brooks's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,587,045 and $6,856,000. That averages to '''$4,221,522.50''', which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Brooks ranked as the 87th most wealthy representative in 2012.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00033495&year=2012 ''OpenSecrets'', "Brooks, (R-IN), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014]</ref> Between 2011 and 2012, Brooks' net worth decreased by 8.3 percent. Between 2004 and 2012, the average increase in the net worth of a congressman was 72.6 percent.

Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[7] For more information pertaining to Brooks's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[8]

National security

DHS Appropriations

Brooks voted in favor of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[9]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Brooks voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[9]

CISPA (2013)

Brooks voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[10] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[9]

NDAA

Brooks voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[9]

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[11] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[12][13] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[13] Brooks voted with 161 other Republicanrepresentatives in favor of the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[14][15] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[15] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[16] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Brooks voted with the majority of the Republican party in favor of the bill.[14]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[17] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[18] Brooks voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[19]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[20] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Brooks voted for HR 2775.[21]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Brooks voted in favor of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States. The vote largely followed party lines.[9]

Healthcare

Healthcare Reform Rules

Brooks voted in favor of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.[9]

Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act

Brooks voted in favor of HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.[9]

Social issues

Amash amendment

Brooks voted against House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.[9]

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Brooks is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Brooks raised a total of $1,440,815 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 7, 2013.[25]

2012

Breakdown of the source of Brooks's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Brooks won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Brooks's campaign committee raised a total of $1,440,815 and spent $1,265,519.[32] This is less than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[33]

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index

The aim of the Personal Gain Index (PGI) is to shine a light on how members of the U.S. Congress may benefit from their tenure as public servants. Researchers at the Government Accountability Institute will look at four different metrics pointing to aspects of self-enrichment.
The PGI will consist of the following metrics:

Net worth

How much did a member's net worth increase or decrease over a specified period?

The K-Street metric (coming soon)

What percentage of a member's staff were previously lobbyists?

Donation concentration (coming soon)

What industries are contributing the most to each member?

Stock trading (coming soon)

What stocks are each member holding in their portfolio?

PGI: Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Brooks's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,587,045 and $6,856,000. That averages to $4,221,522.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Brooks ranked as the 87th most wealthy representative in 2012.[34] Between 2011 and 2012, Brooks' net worth decreased by 8.3 percent. Between 2004 and 2012, the average increase in the net worth of a congressman was 72.6 percent.

Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[36]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Brooks missed 0 of 89 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 0.0%, which is better than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[37]

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[38]